Story+2000-06-27+New+York+City,+NY

´´(sings ‘Take Me to the River’)(crowd´s rushed the stage during ´Out in the Street´) There´s a lot of folks anxious to get to the river tonight....well, that’s where I wanna go tonight....I wanna go to that riverside.....I wanna find that river of life .... and I wanna find that river of hope....and I wanna find that river of faith....and that river of transformation where you can go and you can be changed, if you want to .... and that river of resurrection where everybody gets a second chance.....and that river of sanctification....where the good things and the blessings and the grace of life can fall upon you.....I wanna find that river of sexual healing....and companionship (chuckles)....I wanna find that river of joy and of happiness.... but you just don´t stumble across those things...you don´t walk into them by accident, you´ve got to seek them out and then build on ´em something that means something....well, that´s where I wanna go tonight and I want you to go with me....because I need to go with you.... that´s why we´re here night after night after night after night.....because I need to go with you because you can´t get there by yourself....and so tonight I wanna throw a rock and roll baptism.....a rock and roll exorcism.....and a rock and roll bar mitzvah....we´re gonna do it all tonight.....and I wanna be washed in those waters and set free again, that´s right....but once, once I stood, as a young man, one evening, before a dark grove of trees and I was frightened to pass through those trees just like when I was a little child.....even though I knew that on that other side the river of life was waiting.....cold beer at a reasonable price....pizza for everybody !....but I stood paralyzed until a gypsy woman called me onward and I told her that I was, I was paralyzed by my fears and she said ´Well, what you need is you need some help to get through those woods....you need some help, what´s, what´s your line ?´ and I told her and she said ´Well, then what you need is you need a band.....a rock and roll band !´.... and that´s why tonight I wanna introduce, on the piano, the Secretary of intelligence, Professor Roy Bittan....I wanna introduce the Minister of faith and friendship, keeper of all things righteous on E Street and star of the ´Sopranos´-television-show....Little Steven Van Zandt on the guitar....stay cool, Brother, stay cool.....the foundation of the E Street nation, the Tennesee Terror, Mr.Garry W.Tallent on the bass.....and on the drums, the Minister of the mighty beat, the man that brings the power night after night after night after night, star of Late Night Television, the Mighty, Mighty, Mighty Max Weinberg.....the Mighty One....and on the guitar, the Secretary of heart and spirit, the Godfather of the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren......and on the organ and accordion, the man with a record of a 153 unpaid New York City parking tickets, the Minister of mystery, Brother Dan Federici....and now, and now, brunettes are fine and blondes are fun but when it comes to getting a dirty job done, it takes a (crowd :‘Red Headed Woman’) I´m looking, I´m searching for a (crowd : ‘Red Headed Woman’) I´ve got to, I´ve got to find a (crowd :‘Red Headed Woman’) I want to find my baby (crowd :‘Red Headed Woman’)(Patti sings a bit of ´Rumble Doll´) the First Lady of love, on the guitar and vocals, and my personal savior, Miss Patti Scialfa....and now last but not least....last but not least.....the Minister of soul, Secretary of the brotherhood and if we lived in a righteous nation, the next president of the United States....do I have to say his name ?....do I have to say his name ?...say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ? ....say who ?.....”
 * 27.06.00 New York City, NY, middle of ´Tenth Avenue Freeze Out´**

´´New York City !....these little town shoes.....but everywhere I´ve gone, I´ve seen people lost in confusion....I´ve seen people lost in the wilderness of the concrete jungle....I´ve seen people lost in subways in loneliness.... I´ve seen people lost in envy over the Jersey Devils winning the Stanley Cup....lost at the Statue of Liberty which is actually in New Jersey....lost....in the Sopranos´ reruns.... which is actually filmed in New Jersey.....where the real mafia is, not the New York City mama´s boys....lost singing the theme song ´New York, New York´ which, come to think of it, was actually sung by a man from New Jersey ...lost in bitterness but that´s alright because I´m here tonight on an ambassadorial mission, I´ve come across the river and if you´re downhearted, disspirited, disgusted, dispossessed, downsized, stigmatized, analyzed, retro-psychedelized, I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight .... I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight..... to re-educate you, to resuscitate you, to regenerate you, to reconfiscate you, to reindoctrinate you, to recombobulate you, to resexualate you....to reliberate you, to rededicate you....with the power and the glory....with the promise....with the majesty.... with the mystery....with the ministry of rock and roll....that´s right....that´s right....with the ministry of rock and roll !....now, unlike my competitors, I shall not....I will not....I will not promise to (?) your shirts, invite you to tea, (?) make love to anyone in the world in just 15 minutes if you read this book.....I shall not promise you life everlasting ....but I can promise you life.....right now!....and all you gotta do is raise your hand.....raise your hand and say ´I´....”‘
 * 27.06.00 New York City, NY, middle of ´Light of Day´**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//